Hi, I just need to get a new anxiety of my chest. Briefly, I had a cryoablation last March. Since then my eps of af have mostly settled but I do still get it maybe once a month. Recently I have experienced near-fainting with the af. That’s new, and scary. Of course I have googled it and wished I hadn’t! I don’t know if it’s anything to do with the ablation, or is it something else? Has anyone else had this problem? I contacted 111, and they got my gp to ring me. He is investigating my bp right now. Also, he put my bisoprolol up to 5 mg from 2.5 mg. Not sure if that’s a good idea since it will lower my bp, but I’ll wait and see. Anyway, thanks for reading.
Jan.
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Have you made contact with the EP or perhaps the Arrhythmia Nurse attached to the hospital. Hopefully you had a follow up appointment and were given some contact information……
Hi Flap -Jack, yes I have emailed the arrhythmia nurses, and I’m waiting for a reply. I sent Kardia charts and bp measurements. Thanks for your suggestion. 😊
As a matter of interest - how does GP ‘investigate’ your BP? Do you monitor your own BP? Have you been asked to wear a continuous BP monitor? That’s what I had.
It’s possible your BP or your HR dropped suddenly and that caused your sensations of near fainting, I I used to have that a lot during an AF episode as my BP dropped like a stone. I was prescribed BIsoprolol and was alarmed thinking it would drop my BP more but my GP reassured me that it wouldn’t - it would help to stabilise BP. Much as I hated the drug for other reasons - on that he was correct. Bisoprolol stabilised my BP so please be reassured on that count.
Fainting or near fainting should always be investigated but it can be difficult to find a cause unless it’s obvious such as low BP or HR. Good luck and hope things improve for you. Best wishes
Hi CDreamer, I was given the task of doing my own bp, sitting and standing, twice a day for 3 days. The gp’s receptionist allowed me to email the results to her, and she passed it on to the doctor. They really don’t want to see us face to face these days. Has anyone noticed that? I’m not complaining, I understand how busy they are, gp surgeries and hospitals. But I do miss a cosy chat with my doc! 😂 I’m really hoping someone might suggest a visit to the hospital cardiologist. Thanks for the info about bisoprolol, trust is very reassuring. Thanks for replying. J
I’m so sorry your GP won’t see you face to face - there is no reason not to if you request it now. We are not experiencing that sort of difficulty and can book either telephone or face to face.
Our gp is just the same ,I went on Thursday to see if I could book an appointment for 3 weeks away re cardiac and bladder issues which I had to shout out through masks and glass panel.Bet the mums with kids in there waiting for face to face had a giggle.No appointments to book till April. Call 111 or a&e if you feel the need said the receptionist or call at 8.30am to see if you can get an on the day pho ne call.It takes an hour to get through and then told sorry all gone Try Mon.Rant over.
Hi Jan, yes I know what that feels like. I went through a period of it a year or so back for no apparent reason. Had to be very careful getting out of chairs etc. Agree with FJ re contacting arrhythmia nurse.
Basically stopped on their own Jan but I did stop my losartan for a couple of days. Never came back when I re started . Still get the odd day when I have to grap a chair if I stand too quickly but nothing consistent.
I'm Ok thanks no point in complaining is there. Life is what it is and we do have it.
It is also possible that your Ventricular rate was exceptionally high and this resulsulted in poor cardiac output and fainting . You may also have a slow rate or even another arrhythmia such as V tach. It seems to me you would benefit from wearing a continuous monitor in hopes of catching one of these episodes and getting a definitive diagnoses. Best, etheral
Thanks for replying etheral. I have had more noticeable tachycardia with af episodes than I ever had before ablation. It landed me in hospital last year, and tho’ I was offered a hosp visit, I refused this time. I am hoping I will have a continuous monitor soon.
Did these happen during AF or when you reverted? Because it is quite common for your heart to pause temporarily before it picks up SR. Anyway, best to get it checked ❤️🩹
Hi Buffafly, thanks for replying. The dizziness and irregular hr happened right at the beginning of the af episode. The tachycardia came in the middle, then came another bout of irregular hr. Dizziness all the way through. It lasted 4 hours in all. I didn’t pass out or feel sick, nor did I get any pain. But the whole thing made me anxious for a couple of days. That’s not like me! I’m hoping it’s not a weird result of the ablation itself. 😟
Dizziness with AF is usually temporary. When I had AF, it would just be if I stood up too quickly from a prone position, but it would clear in a second or two. As yours continued, it might possibly be a TIA, particularly as it was at the start of an episode. Have you had this checked? Was anyone else with you who could check your symptoms? What did the dizziness feel like?Mark
Hi MarkS, that’s a chilling thought! I will certainly highlight the duration of the dizziness when I next have any contact with gp or arrhythmia nurses. My hub had a dizzy spell a couple of years ago, lasting a few minutes, and he was head scanned for possible tia. But he had double vision at the same time. I didn’t. He was actually with me all the time, but didn’t note anything other than what I have already described.
Just to add, Mark, the dizziness was ‘spacey’. I didn’t feel particularly ill, I was trying to get hold of 111, email the arrhythmia nurses, stopping to lie on the sofa and get my legs in the air - lots going on!! Mostly I was annoyed and anxious. But the spacey-ness continued on and off for several hours. That ids a bit worrying. Thank you again for replying.
Hi Jan, it probably is just the AF reducing blood pressure, but it is worth getting it checked out properly, and that's a consultant not a GP. It is just a possibility that it could be a TIA, lots of people on here have had them including myself, and a lot of the rest will have had them without realising! I had a spaced out feeling and also felt a bit disconnected with difficulty putting words together. After 10-15 mins it had cleared.
It might be worth you talking it up a bit so you do get properly checked over.
Good morning jan-ran, I actually passed out on the golf course after developing AF and two ablations. It was a low BP which caused the faint plus AF of course. After having a Pacemaker and AV node procedure no more issues. Although I did faint again this was caused by a very hot day and not drinking enough fluids.It would be better to discuss with your Cardiologist as GP's are not usually as up to date on the latest development on AF
Thank you for replying Golfer. Looking at my bp, taken during the episode, it was never particularly low. The more you lovely people talk to me, the more I can see that I must see the cardiologist at some point. I’m also wondering if I have some balance issues. I have noticed slight wobbliness and I know my gait is changing. I put this down to my disintegrating hip joints! 😟 I still manage line dancing, dance exercise and Pilates, so I cling on to that for reassurance.
Hi jan-ran, I am 77 this month and I know my walking has changed considerably plus I feel like I wobble a little too. I put this down to my age !!!!!!!! Phewwwwww Regards Dave
Hi Jan. What you are describing sounds exactly what happened to me after my Cryo-ablation. I was walking my dog around the block thankfully I was able to sit down on the curb for a little while and then make it home. I do understand you are upset because it was very scary (hugs). I have high anxiety so I think that it made it worse for me. It’s been five years since my ablation so I can’t remember what the doctor told me about that episode but evidently all was fine. I’m in the US and my doctor is easy to get in touch with thankfully. I only see him once a year now. I know you have been told this before but please please please please lol refrain from researching on Google. All the worse case what could happen things pop up and causes worry. All the best to you
Thank you for replying Robinson. I'm afraid I am an inveterate Googler, can't help myself😟 But you're right, it has a downside. I'm glad you are ok now.
You need to have this property investigated by a consultant.
It could also be long pauses between heartbeats, not easy to catch on ecg. I've had this and lost consciousness on a number of occasions until I got a pacemaker.
Hi Jan, I have just started with this problem too, and I have never had an ablation. I had it a couple of times when I thought my heart was returning to nsr, but it’s becoming more often, sometimes when I’m out walking, and sometimes just sitting in the chair. I am going to request a face to face appointment (which is as rare as hens’ teeth) and see what happens. Will you let us know how you get on?
Thank you Cha. I will if you will 😂.. Seriously, i really hope the AF nurse moves things along. It's frustrating waiting, but at least I feel fine at the moment. I haven't had a 'spacey' episode for a week. And counting.....
I’ve had a few episodes of near fainting right as I come out of Afib, pretty sure it’s related to an abrupt change of blood pressure…so I make sure I’m lying down when it stops.
That is more or less what my gp thought, I'm sure, but my little chart didn't really show that conclusively. I have never been one to suffer from low blood pressure so I do wonder if something else is going on. Ref. Robinson's good reply, I shouldn't have googled it 😱. Thanks for your reply.
I have a face to face appointment with the doc next Wednesday. Can hardly bear the excitement lol. I don’t have an AF nurse or anyone I can ask apart from the docs, and sometimes they’re not a lot of help, but watch this space! 😐
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Bob @ 100
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